Renovation planned for State Capitol Memorial Grove

-- NEWS RELEASE --

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services is partnering with the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to renovate the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Grove on the State Capitol Campus.

Initial work to expand the grove and enhance visitors’ overall experience will begin soon.

“As we move forward into 2020, we will continue to reflect on the 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing,” said Oklahoma Secretary of Agriculture Blayne Arthur, who also serves on the Conscience Committee at the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. “Time has changed many things, and I appreciate the State of Oklahoma and the national memorial & museum working collaboratively on this project that will provide a long-term sustainable grove to remember all who were lost in 1995.”

Major construction is slated for March when crews will start work on the north end of the Capitol complex, where trees were removed to repair a natural gas leak last year. Since then, OMES officials have worked to ensure the redesign enriches the memorial and continues to respect and honor the victims of the bombing and their families, said Dan Ross, OMES Capital Assets Management administrator.

The renovation will incorporate three types of trees, additional benches and lighting improvements. The variety of trees will include crabapples, oaks and redbuds, and are intended to represent the lives lost in the bombing.

The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Grove was initially dedicated in November 1995 and will be rededicated this November.

The Conscience Committee is an advisory committee to the Board of Trustees at the Oklahoma City National Memorial to ensure through the years all programs and events stay true to its original mission.